Ep. 148 Science, Faith, and Evolution with Dr. Stacy

This episode explores the tension many Christians feel when science, evolution, and creation are discussed together. Brandon Wallace interviews Dr. Stacy, a chemist and Catholic scholar, about how to think about evolution without panic, scientism, or false certainty. We discuss why the age of the earth is not the object of Christian faith, how Catholic thought makes room for both science and miracle, and why humility matters when reading both nature and scripture.

Dr. Stacy's substack

01:52 - Forethought
10:00 - Interview start
10:27 - Introducing Dr. Stacy and her work
10:57 - Where to find Dr. Stacy and her writing
12:15 - Dr. Stacy's journey from chemistry to Catholicism
14:16 - Microevolution, macroevolution, and the faith question
15:05 - Why we do not have all the pieces of the evolution puzzle
16:03 - Genetics, reproduction, and change over time
17:01 - Darwin, domestication, and why species are hard to define
18:22 - Aristotelian and Thomistic metaphysics in Catholic thought
19:47 - Why scientism feels imposing in education
21:22 - Thinking historically as a Catholic
22:20 - Why students crave certainty from science
23:45 - Science as the study of God's handiwork
25:12 - Fossils, radiometric dating, and limits of scientific certainty
27:59 - Scientific consensus is not the same as final fact
30:17 - Why certainty can become a trap in evolution debates
31:11 - Young Earth creationism, geological exceptions, and ancient catastrophe
34:14 - Radiometric dating and why half-life matters
35:57 - Stable periods, Clovis culture, and change over time
36:56 - Humans, Neanderthals, and the Adam and Eve question
39:20 - Population models of first humans versus a miraculous beginning
43:43 - Quantum mechanics, indeterminacy, and consciousness
46:46 - Burial practices, symbolic thought, and human awareness
50:21 - Why young Earth creationism can feel like a test of faith
54:32 - Microevolution versus macroevolution in practical terms
57:17 - Cilantro, receptor genes, and the limits of species definitions
58:16 - Closing thanks and final remarks